Annex Advisory Services LLC Decreases Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Annex Advisory cut its stake in Verizon by 61.4% in Q4, selling 55,070 shares and retaining 34,642 shares worth about $1.41 million.
• Verizon beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.09 vs. $1.06), set FY2026 guidance of 4.900–4.950 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83, ~6.3% yield).
• Insiders sold 218,148 shares (~$10.78M) last quarter even as institutional ownership remains high (~62%), and analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $50.56 average price target.

Annex Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 61.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,642 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 55,070 shares during the quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $16,665,000 after acquiring an additional 46,699 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,196,000 after acquiring an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $45.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $188.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.13, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $49.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.66. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a boost from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Evercore upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.56.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc NYSE: VZ is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The company's consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.

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